It's never a good thing when planes crash. It happens to be one of my biggest fears that I have yet to overcome.
I think, on average, we lose one every year.. and it sucks to say the least, but for the most part (which doesn't make it any less painful) we don't really know them. We have the occasional transient plane go down after getting fuel here and misjudging the distance to the next stop...and needless to say, they don't make it. It sucks, and it's always a sobering reminder to love those around you.
This year however, we've taken a hit to the heart. January we lost one of our daily mail planes off of Sand Point, AK. Ameer and Emily didn't make it.
That was my first crash and loss of a friend that I'd ever dealt with, and I spent weeks crying and freaking out every time Mike got called on a flight.
Eventually, I was able to get back to my daily tasks, and embrace my job and everything that goes along with it.
Earlier this month the Coast Guard crash off the coast of Washington state happened. We knew all 4 guys on board. 3 of them died in the crash. Once again, reality set in and I just had to keep on keepin' on. Eventually you find your groove again, but it never really escapes your thoughts.
Then, Friday happened. I got to work at 0700. I was sitting at my desk doing my morning routine, and listening to all the float plane traffic starting their morning. The weather was shitty for a July day, so we were in a special for weather. Between the morning phone calls, I just happened to be listening when I heard it...
"uh... 911 is reporting that witnesses have called in a plane below the tree line, that it went down in ward cove..."
My heart sank. I know these guys personally that were out flying. Everyone went into check mode and they located the aircraft. Everyone checked back to company, everyone except Josh.
The rest of the day is a blur. We lost him that day, and I think the whole town was affected, and even some of the manliest men I know, cried.
Ketchikan Pilot Killed In Crash July 23, 2010
Friday
Ketchikan, Alaska - A Ketchikan pilot was killed in a float plane crash north of Ketchikan Friday morning. Josh Murdock, 38, was the sole occupant in a 1959 DeHavilland Beaver owned by Pacific Airways of Ketchikan that crashed at about 7:30 a.m.
Josh Murdock, 38, was the sole occupant in a 1959 DeHavilland Beaver owned by Pacific Airways of Ketchikan that crashed at about 7:30 a.m. this morning.
Photo courtesy Alaska Department of Public Safety
Alaska State Troopers, North Tongass Volunteer Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard and officers from the Ketchikan Police Department responded and located the plane.
Witnesses reported the plane clipped some trees, causing the plane to lose its right wing before crashing. The plane was found on a grassy knoll off of the Tongass Highway in the Ward Cove area. The plane was en route from Ketchikan to Thorne Bay when it crashed on the property of the old Ketchikan Pulp Mill's grassy knoll about seven miles north of Ketchikan.
Photo courtesy Alaska Department of Public Safety
The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and State Medical Examiner's Office have been notified of the death. The NTSB will take over the investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
Photo courtesy Alaska Department of Public Safety
Source of News & Photographs:
Alaska Department of Public Safety
www.dps.state.ak.us
Today I tried to go flying after work. We made it as far as the mountains when it started to get a little bumpy. I broke down and started crying, asking Mike to take me back to the airport. I just couldn't do it, not yet.
One day I'll be able to move on, but I'll never get over it. It's been a rough year, and my job is taking it's toll on my heart and soul. I love it, but losing people I know just isn't what I signed up for.
